and prevent the spread of contagious and infectious diseases of livestock, and for other purposes; and also the provisions of the act approved March 3, 1905 (U. S. C., title 21, secs. 123-128), to enable the Secretary of Agriculture to establish and maintain quarantine districts, to permit and regulate the movement of cattle and other livestock therefrom, and for other purposes; and for carrying out the provisions of the act of June 29, 1906 (U. S. C., title 45, secs. 71-74), entitled "An act to prevent cruelty to animals while in transit by railroad or other means of transportation"; and for carrying out the provisions of the act approved March 4, 1913 (U. S. C., title 21, secs. 151-158), regulating the preparation, sale, barter, exchange, or shipment of any virus, serum, toxin, or analogous products manufactured in the United States and the importation of such products intended for use in the treatment of domestic animals; and for carrying out the provisions of the packers and stockyards act, approved August 15, 1921 (U. S. Č., title 7, secs. 181-229); and to enable the Secretary of Agriculture to collect and disseminate information concerning livestock and animal products; to prepare and disseminate reports on animal industry; to employ and pay from the appropriation herein made as many persons in the city of Washington or elsewhere as he may deem necessary; to purchase in the open market samples of all tuberculin, serums, antitoxins, or analogous products, of foreign or domestic manufacture, which are sold in the United States, for the detection, prevention, treatment, or cure of diseases of domestic animals, to test the same, and to disseminate the results of said tests in such manner as he may deem best; to purchase and destroy diseased or exposed animals, including poultry, or quarantine the same whenever in his judgment essential to prevent the spread of pleuropneumonia, tuberculosis, contagious poultry diseases, or other diseases of animals from one State to another, as follows: GENERAL ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES The next item is as follows: General administrative expenses: For necessary expenses for general administrative purposes, including the salary of chief of bureau and other personal services in the District of Columbia, $170,915. Doctor MOHLER. The following statement is submitted: Appropriation, 1932. Appropriation, 1933. Decrease.. The decrease of $13,110 is explained as follows: Apparent increase of $490 by transfer from "Salaries, office of the Secretary," which has been correspondingly reduced as pro rata of supply handling charges for 1934-$13,600 reduction on account of continuation of legislative furlough. WORK UNDER THIS APPROPRIATION This appropriation is used for payment of overhead charges difficult of allocation to individual divisions, or projects, as the expenses of the chief's office, including appropriation estimates, audits, appointments, library, and editɔrial activities. ESTIMATE FOR 1934 Mr. BUCHANAN. For 1933 you have $184,325 and you are estimating $170,915 for 1934-a slight reduction, which I suppose is due to reductions carried in the economy bill and the furlough plan being carried into the estimates? Doctor MOHLER. That is true. You understand that this work, in conjunction with the administrative activities of our bureau, is in connection with the general overhead and takes care of the expenses of the personnel office, the accounts office, the library, the file room, the editorial office, and the general overhead in connection with the entire work of the bureau. Mr. BUCHANAN. In other words, this is the administrative expenses in the District of Columbia and, so far as this relates, to the outside, too? Doctor MOHLER. Yes, sir, the general overhead expenses. Mr. BUCHANAN. Are there any vacancies due to the impounding provision of the last appropriation bill? Doctor MOHLER. Not in this particular item. There have been about 66 altogether. Mr. BUCHANAN. In the bureau? Doctor MOHLER. Sixty-six in the bureau, but not under this particular item. There is an apparent increase of $490 as a result of the transfer of handling charges for supplies of the bureau by the Secretary's office, the funds of the latter being correspondingly reduced. Mr. BUCHANAN. Well you need all this money, do you? Doctor MOHLER. Yes, sir; we feel that we do. INSPECTION AND QUARANTINE Mr. BUCHANAN. Your next item is inspection and quarantineFor inspection and quarantine work, including all necessary expenses for the eradication of scabies in sheep and cattle, the inspection of southern cattle, the supervision of the transportation of livestock and the inspection of vessels, the execution of the twenty-eight hour law, the inspection and quarantine of imported animals, including the establishment and maintenance of quarantine stations and repairs, alterations, improvements, or additions to buildings thereon; the inspection work relative to the existence of contagious diseases, and the mallein testing of animals, $689,660. Doctor MOHLER. The following justification is submitted: Two hundred and twenty dollars decrease due to (a) $120 reduction in annual rentals; (b) $100 reduction in salary of an employee appointed to fill a vacancy under that paid the retiring incumbent. Three hundred dollars decrease due to filling a vacancy at $2,000, whereas the retiring incumbent was paid $2,300. Forty nine thousand, eight hundred and fifty dollars reduction on account of continuation of legislative furlough. WORK UNDER THIS APPROPRIATION This work under this appropriation consists of the eradication of scabies in sheep and cattle, in cooperation with the States, and with the Interior Department on Indian reservations; the inspection of southern cattle; the control of the interstate transportation of livestock; the inspection of vessels; the enforcement of the 28-hour law; the inspection and quarantine of imported animals, including the establishment and maintenance of quarantine stations; the supervision over the sanitary handling of hides, skins, wool, and other animal by-products, feeding materials, and fertilizers offered for importation; the investigational and inspection work relative to the existence of contagious diseases and the inspection and mallein testing of animals. ESTIMATE FOR 1934 Mr. BUCHANAN. Your appropriation is $740,030 for 1933, and you are estimating $689,660 for next year. What is the cause of that decrease? That certainly was not all caused by the impoundment provision, was it, and the furlough business? Doctor MOHLER. By the furlough, largely. There is a decrease of $49,850 on account of the continuation of legislative furlough, and then there is a slight reduction due to annual rents as we go into the Federal buildings in the course of the next fiscal year. Mr. BUCHANAN. Is any of that due to the impounding provision? Doctor MоHLER. Yes. There are also $400 saved as the result of two individuals having quit the service and their places taken by lower-salaried men. Mr. BUCHANAN. Well give us a general outline of this and tell us what is the condition and status of the inspection and quarantine work now. Doctor MOHLER. As you notice from the project statement, this item is rather a large one. It carries our work in the eradication of scabies in sheep and goats and the eradication of scabies in cattle and horses, the interstate shipment of livestock, the 28-hour law, the eradication of various diseases, the inspection of animals for import and export, the mallein testing at the stockyards, supervision over animal by-products, and activities of that character. DIPPING OF CATTLE AND SHEEP FOR ERADICATION OF SCABIES The first major project concerns itself with the eradication of scabies in sheep and goats. This work has been carried on, as heretofore, in cooperation with State officials and with the office of Indian Affairs, and consists of making general inspections of sheep and goats and supervising the dipping of infected and exposed flocks. During the fiscal year 1932, inspections and supervised shippings totaled 19,861,671 and 3,074,911, respectively. The number of animals in flocks in which infection was found totaled 232,052, which is a marked decrease as compared with the previous year. Mr. BUCHANAN. Doctor, when you dip cattle and sheep for scabies, is it done practically under the same plan that we dip cattle for the eradication of the tick? Doctor MOHLER. Practically the same, but we use a different type of dip. Mr. BUCHANAN. I understand you use a different dip, but the plan is the same. Doctor MOHLER. Yes, sir. Mr. BUCHANAN. In other words, the Federal Government only supervises and inspects? Doctor MOHLER. Entirely, sir. Mr. BUCHANAN. Then, when the process is over with in the dipping season, it will be in a position to raise the quarantine? antine these cattle? You quar Doctor MOHLER. We have in the past, but we have gotten to the stage now where the disease is in only isolated sections of the country, so it saves us money by allowing the States to do the quarantining. We have general supervision of the work and make very careful inspections at the time of the shipment of the cattle through the stockyards. Mr. BUCHANAN. Of those you slaughter? Doctor MOHLER. Yes. Of course it would cost a great deal more money if we attempted to enforce any Federal quarantine, so that is left entirely with the State and local authorities. Much improvement in scabies of sheep was shown in a number of the far Western States and on the Navajo Indian Reservation. There remains, however, a considerable number of centers of infection and these are very widely scattered so that it is still necessary to cover large areas in the inspection work in order to hold what has been gained until the last centers can be eliminated. During the past year or two there has been a marked increase in the spread of this disease in various farm States in the Middle West, for example, in Ohio, Indiana, and Missouri. The infection in this region is not included in the figures given above, as the bureau is not as yet actively assisting in the work in these areas. ERADICATION OF SCABIES IN CATTLE AND HORSES The work in connection with the eradication of scabies in cattle and horses is carried on in the same way and under the same authority, in cooperation with the same authorities and in much the same manner as sheep scabies eradication. During the fiscal year 1932 bureau employees made 3,450,866 inspections and supervised 404,973 dippings. The number of animals found to be infected was 173,903, a decrease of about 25 per cent. Some improvement was shown in all of the Western States where this disease has been a serious problem except in New Mexico and possibly Colorado and Wyoming. Many scattered centers of infection still remain and in view of the nature of the country much work is entailed in preventing the spread from these centers until they can be eradicated. Sarcoptic mange is an increasing problem in several of the range States. Horse scabies on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation was materially reduced through a general dipping during the past year but another general inspection and dipping will be necessary. We will have to keep working on this project for several years until the last mite has been killed. INSPECTION OF LIVESTOCK AT PUBLIC STOCKYARDS The inspection for communicable diseases of all livestock that are received at public stockyards constitutes the most important activity under this project. This work has the highly important object of detecting diseased or exposed animals in order that measures may be taken to prevent the spread of communicable diseases to country points. These measures, which include the dipping of sheep and cattle for scabies, the immunization of swine against hog cholera, and the testing of horses for glanders, are performed at public stockyards under the supervision of Federal employees. The discovery at public stockyards of shipments of livestock affected with communicable diseases is a very important factor in tracing infection back to its source. In a great many instances of that sort the discovery at the public markets is the first knowledge gained of the existence of disease in the district of origin. Notices sent by Federal employees to State or local authorities, therefore, enable the latter to take steps promptly to localize and eradicate outbreaks which would otherwise become widespread before information concerning them would reach the authorities. Another important result is the prevention of the further movement of diseased and exposed animals which, if it were not prohibited, would certainly be a medium for carrying infection to noninfected premises and herds. The practice inaugurated following the extensive outbreak of footand-mouth disease in 1914-15 of having experienced veterinarians at public stockyards especially assigned to making careful inspections of livestock for symptoms of this disease was continued during the past fiscal year. The need for this particular service has been amply demonstrated during the more recent outbreaks of foot-and-mouth disease that have occurred in this country during 1924-25, 1929, and the last one in California during the past fiscal year. A total of 17,599 cars were cleaned and disinfected during the year on account of having been used in the transportation of animals. affected with communicable diseases, or in compliance with department regulations, or on request of Canadian Government officials, State officials, or transportation companies. The bureau continued its efforts to reduce losses from hemorrhagic septicemia, the divisions of public stockyards in which feeder and stocker cattle are handled and railroad stockyards regularly used in the feeding, watering and resting of livestock in transit being cleaned and disinfected under supervision as in previous years. INSPECTION OF ANIMALS AT PORTS OF ENTRY Mr. BUCHANAN. You have a little item here in the breakdown of $15,000 for inspection of animals at port of entry. At what places have you inspectors now? Doctor MOHLER. We have inspectors along the Atlantic coast, at the quarantine stations located at the ports of Boston, New York, and Baltimore for such quarantine work. We also have We also have a number of inspectors along both the Canadian border and the Mexican border, where the inspections are made for feeders and breeding and dairy animals coming into this country, but those expenses are included in the next item. Mr. BUCHANAN. This is not the item under which you inspect to prevent the entry of the foot-and-mouth disease into this country? Doctor MOHLER. Only in a general way. That is a minor part of the inspection, because the secretary will not issue permits for livestock coming from any country where there is foot-and-mouth disease. We limit the imports to those countries that are free from that disease. Mr. BUCHANAN. Let me see if I understand that. Suppose I had a ranch in South America and wanted to ship some cattle here; could I not put them on the steamboat and ship them? Doctor MOHLER. I do not believe you could get clearance at those ports. Mr. BUCHANAN. You mean at the South American ports? Doctor MOHLER. Yes. The first step in the method of getting any shipment in here would be to ask the Secretary of Agriculture for a permit and he would refuse it at once on the ground there is foot and mouth disease in that country. And if you should ship irrespective of having a permit, they would be turned back when they got to the port of entry-say, New York, Baltimore, or Boston. Mr. BUCHANAN. Well you have an inspector at New Orleans and have one at Galveston? Doctor MOHLER. Yes, and they would not allow the unloading of such cattle. 149139-32-10 |